The One Tree - Fruition

[Farm Ur-Ted]

Think of it as a kind of “seed crystal” (I hope I’m using this term correctly). You have a vial of liquid that obviously isn’t doing anything; you toss in a seed crystal; and instantly the liquid is transformed into something else. “Vain’s deformation at the One Tree” is a necessary catalyst without which the eventual transformation simply could not occur.

Wow, where did SRD learn about seed crystals?

[amanibhavam]

Unfortunately, however, this thought does not occur to any character in the story

Well, Linden's not too observant, now is she?

Why they do not even realize they have a crush on each other until the middle of the second volume, when it is blatantly obvious from the beginning...

[KAY1]

It did seem a little silly really that noone figured it out. I mean after all Linden said on many occasions how perfect Vain was structurally and they all knew Findail was pure Earthpower; then when Vain's arm turned to wood she said it was just dead, when she closed her eyes she couldn't even sense it.

So surely someone would've put 2 and 2 together? Especially with the fact he had put on the steel bands which formed the heels of the old staff.

Duh!